One of the most significant insights from the ‘Big Map’ flood information event in Gunnedah was the community awareness about Gunnedah Shire Council’s role during disaster.
Disaster Relief Australia national resilience manager, Adam Moss, said local government is often an easy target during times of duress and unfairly so.
“The community does not necessarily understand how much work local government does,” he said.
“We’ve been running these events around the country and every time we do, communities get to see the bigger picture.”
The ‘Big Map’ provided emergency services and the Gunnedah community with a broad overview of local river systems, flood-prone towns and what happens during a flood event.
Mr Moss said many who stopped by the community information session at the Gunnedah PCYC on Saturday discovered there was a lot more to flood response than meets the eye.
“People have come in and thought (their issue) was a council issue but realised it’s not, or council is trying to achieve that through a project right now,” he said.
“The future is this (Big Map event) binds the gaps between community expectation and what the council is trying to achieve – that’s the biggest insight I’ve seen for this map.”
Gunnedah Shire Council has specific roles and responsibilities in situations of emergency management including as chair of the Local Emergency Management Committee which plans and reviews disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
During disaster and emergencies, council is responsible for disaster waste management, traffic and road management, damage assessment and repair or replacement of council infrastructure assessment, public health and safety and other issues. This is in addition to its regular business and continuity of essential services.
Since January, Gunnedah council has also benefitted from funding for a Community Recovery Officer. Their role includes identifying and delivering recovery needs, growing the recovery readiness and establishing a Community Resilience Network.
This network, which has already met three times this year, provides a link between the Local Emergency Management Committee and the community.
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